Getting started
What is Krabli?
Krabli is an AI editorial assistant for Telegram channel owners. It monitors public source channels, selects and optionally rewrites relevant posts, delivers them to your private Backstage channel for review, and publishes the ones you approve to your Main channel.
What is the Backstage?
The Backstage is a private Telegram channel where Krabli delivers post proposals. Each proposal appears as a bot message with three buttons: Publish, Skip, and Send back. You never have to open the Krabli web app to review posts — just open Telegram.
Is Krabli free?
Krabli requires an invite code during private access. Pricing details will be published at launch. AI usage (Filter and Editor modes) is billed through your own OpenRouter account — you pay OpenRouter directly at their published model rates.
What do I need to get started?
- A Telegram account (we recommend creating a dedicated one for Krabli)
- A Telegram channel you own (your Main channel) or permission to create one
- An invite code for Krabli
- An OpenRouter account with a credit balance, if you want to use AI modes
Can I use Krabli without AI?
Yes. Relay mode works with keyword and media rules and requires no AI key. You can switch to Filter or Editor mode later by adding an AI key on the Connections page.
Bot and connections
What is BotFather?
BotFather is Telegram's official tool for creating and managing bots. You use it to create a bot for Krabli. See Telegram's official guide.
What is the "Make a bot for me" option?
If you'd rather not use BotFather, Krabli can create a bot for you. Krabli's manager bot opens a Telegram authorization screen — you approve it, and Telegram creates the bot. Krabli manages the token on your behalf.
Is my bot token safe?
Yes. Krabli encrypts your token the moment you submit it. It's stored in Krabli's secure vault and never shown in plain text — not even to Krabli's team. Only the last four characters are displayed so you can confirm which bot is connected. You can revoke the token directly in BotFather at any time.
Can Krabli read my personal Telegram messages?
No. Your bot can only read channels where it's been added as an administrator. It has no access to your private messages, groups you're a member of, or anything outside the channels you've explicitly set up with Krabli.
What does linking my Telegram account give Krabli access to?
Linking gives Krabli a session for your Telegram account — similar to adding a new device. Krabli uses it to join source channels (as a member) and create/configure channels automatically. It does not read your personal messages, contacts, or private chats. We recommend creating a dedicated Telegram account for this rather than linking your personal one.
AI key and OpenRouter
Why do I need OpenRouter?
Krabli's Filter and Editor modes use AI models to process posts. OpenRouter gives Krabli access to those models, and your OpenRouter account is billed for usage. This way you control exactly how much you spend and which models are used.
How much does AI usage cost?
It depends on the model and how many posts Krabli processes. A typical Filter check on a short post costs a fraction of a cent. Editor mode costs more because it also rewrites posts. Set a monthly spending cap in your OpenRouter dashboard so you're always in control. Krabli shows cost estimates in the agent settings.
What happens if my OpenRouter credits run out?
Filter and Editor mode agents will pause. Relay mode agents continue working normally. Add credits to your OpenRouter account and your paused agents will resume automatically.
What if I remove my AI key?
Filter and Editor mode agents pause immediately. They resume automatically when you add a new key.
Source channels
Why can't I follow a private Telegram channel?
Krabli can only monitor public channels — channels that anyone can join. Private channels, groups, and direct messages aren't supported as sources.
Why is it taking so long to join a channel?
Krabli joins channels gradually to keep your linked Telegram account in good standing with Telegram's limits. New channels are joined at most 4 per hour and 12 per day. If you added many channels at once, the later ones may take several hours. Add your most important sources first.
I added a channel and the status shows "Cannot be read" — why?
Common reasons: the channel is private (must be public), it was deleted or renamed, or your linked account hit a temporary Telegram rate limit. See the Sources guide for specific fixes.
Can I use the same source channel in multiple agents?
Yes. One source channel can feed as many agents as you like.
Modes and agents
Which mode should I use?
Start with Relay if you have precise keyword criteria and want no AI cost. Use Filter if you want a smart relevance gate without rewriting. Use Editor if you want Krabli to curate and rewrite in your voice. You can run multiple agents with different modes simultaneously.
Can I switch modes after creating an agent?
Yes, through the contract editor (tap Advanced on the agent's page). Pause the agent first, change the mode, then resume.
What is the "dry run"?
The dry run lets you test your agent on recent real posts before going live. Krabli shows which posts would pass to Backstage and which would be dropped, without actually delivering anything. It's a good idea to run a test before activating a new agent.
What is a "charter"?
A charter (shown in the UI as editorial instructions) is the text you write for Editor mode agents to tell the AI what to select, how to rewrite, and what style to use. Think of it as a style guide for an AI editor. The more specific your charter, the more consistent the output.
Can I have multiple agents?
Yes. You can create as many agents as you need, each with its own sources, mode, and rules. They all run in parallel and all deliver proposals to the same Backstage channel.
Privacy and security
What can Krabli's team see?
Krabli's team cannot see your bot token, AI key, or linked Telegram session — these are stored encrypted in a secure vault that only the connection-handling server process can read. Krabli's team can see your workspace configuration (agents, sources, channels) for support purposes.
How are my credentials stored?
All credentials use AES-256-GCM encryption. The encryption key is held only by the server process that handles connections — no other service and no team member has access.
Can I delete my account and data?
Contact Krabli support to request account deletion. All your workspace data, credentials, and activity logs will be permanently deleted.
What is an umbrella channel?
An umbrella channel is an additional public Telegram channel where Krabli publishes auto-translated versions of everything you post to your Main channel. It's how you reach audiences in multiple languages without extra review work. See Umbrella Channels.
Troubleshooting
For detailed troubleshooting steps, see the Troubleshooting Guide.
My bot shows "needs attention."
The bot token may have been revoked in BotFather, or the bot's admin rights in one of your channels may have been changed. See Troubleshooting → Bot shows "needs attention".
No posts are arriving in my Backstage.
Check that your agent is running (Agents page → Running), your sources are joined (Sources page → Reading), and your Backstage is set up correctly (Destinations page → green status). See Troubleshooting → No posts arriving.
Transcription isn't working.
Make sure you have an AI key connected and the video is under 10 minutes and 200 MB. See Troubleshooting → Transcription.